Steve Redgrave

Sir Steve Redgrave holds the extraordinary record of being the only athlete to win five gold medals in five consecutive Olympic Games. The now retired rower took his first gold in Los Angeles in 1984 and went on to win four more times until the 2000 games in Sydney. He also holds nine World Championship titles and three Commonwealth gold medals.

Considered to be one of the greatest British Olympians of all time, and undoubtedly the most successful rower in Olympic history, Redgrave was made a Knight Batchelor in 2001 for services to his sport. He was also named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2000 and given the show’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

Redgrave has run the London Marathon three times, raising nearly £2m for charitable causes, and has spent time in India creating a rowing academy and in Sri Lanka visiting a Foundation of Goodness community sports project. He also sits on the Executive Committee of Sport for Good, the charitable organisation that works to promote sport as a means to end to violence, discrimination and disadvantage across the world.

Redgrave’s incredible sporting achievements – with partner Matthew Pinsent – have been recognised with the creation of a rowing lake, the Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake and boathouse is used by Team GB for training and scientific purposes.

Redgrave is now the Chairman of the Henley Royal Regatta, where he competed for two decades, and as a sufferer himself campaigns to raise awareness of Type 1 Diabetes.